New Orleans Saints

Last year, the 49ers made an improbable run to the Super Bowl, before falling one play short of reaching the ultimate team goal. They lost to the Baltimore Ravens, a more experienced team that rode momentum all the way to a Championship. This year it’s San Francisco who fits this description and unlike last year, the Niners have everything in place to get past the rest of the NFC.

The Cincinnati Bengals had a great season and are looking forward to welcoming the San Diego Chargers into Paul Brown Stadium for the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Even with that game on the immediate horizon, the 2014 opponents for the Bengals have now been set.

Both the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers sit tied atop the NFC South at 10-4. One of them will emerge as the winner of the conference in two weeks. The question is, who will secure the division title?

For the second time in two weeks the 49ers lost a game in which they have to feel that they should have won. While they played admirably, the bottom line is that San Francisco needs to get back to their winning ways if they hope to make it back to the playoffs.